Awareness of obstructive sleep apnea among critical care physicians in Sharkia Governorate, Egypt

Abstract

Background: Patients with symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) present to nearly all physicians irrespective of their specialties. A basic knowledge of OSA is considered essential to identify those patients for appropriate referral and treatment. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of Sharkia Governorate Critical Care physicians regarding OSA using a standard validated questionnaire. Results: This cross-sectional survey study was performed on a sample of Sharkia Governorate physicians, from all critical care units in tertiary and secondary hospitals including the following specialties: chest, internal medicine, neurology, cardiology, pediatric, and anesthesia. The OSA knowledge and attitudes (OSAKA) questionnaire that consists of 18 knowledge assessment questions and the OSA attitude questionnaire that consists of 6 attitude assessment questions were used. A total of 231, out of 296 invited physicians, completed the given questionnaire with a response rate of 78%. The mean score for knowledge assessment was 10.05 ± 2.3 with a 33.3% adequate response, while the mean score for attitude assessment was 3.75 ± 1.22 with a 59.3% adequate response. The mean OSA knowledge (12.5 ± 2.42) and attitude (5 ± 0.78) scores were highest among chest physicians when compared to physicians from other specialties (p < 0.001). A significant positive correlation between knowledge and attitude scores was found among Sharkia Governorate critical care physicians (r = 0.55, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The level of knowledge of OSA among Sharkia Governorate critical care physicians was far from optimal whereas the attitude regarding OSA was acceptable.

Assessment of Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Obstructive Sleep Apnea Among Interns, Residents and Medical Doctors of Kathmandu Medial College

“…27 More than half of the participants knew the relationship between hypertension and OSA. This was similar to the study reported by Embarak et al 28 In contrast to the present study and study reported by Embarak et al, another study from Pakistan showed that 45% of physicians were unaware of association of OSA and cardiovascular disease. 29 Polysomnography is considered as gold standard for the diagnosis of OSA.…”

“…Nearly three-fourth of the respondents agreed on it. Similar findings was also reported by Embarak et al 28 However, respondents from Pakistan were in support of clinical history for the diagnosis of OSA instead of polysomnography. 29 The study also has limitations.…”

Knowledge, Awareness, and Attitude Regarding Obstructive Sleep Apnea Among Primary Healthcare Physicians in the Al-Baha Region of Saudi Arabia

“…The aforementioned knowledge gaps align with prior research that has documented inadequate levels of awareness among healthcare workers concerning diverse facets of OSA [ 15 ]. In line with the research conducted by Embarak et al [ 17 ] and Corso et al [ 16 ], our study's findings revealed a substantial range of variation in the knowledge questionnaire items, from 35.6% to 87.9%. This result indicates that understanding OSA is insufficient and requires curriculum-appropriate instruction.…”

“…Obstructive sleep apnea is a medical condition of considerable clinical importance, necessitating the involvement of primary care physicians and other healthcare practitioners [ 17 ]. The purpose of this research was to determine the knowledge, awareness, and attitudes of primary care physicians in Saudi Arabia regarding OSA.…”

Knowledge and Attitude towards Obstructive Sleep Apnea among Primary Care Physicians in Northern Regions of Saudi Arabia: A Multicenter Study

“…Our study results explored a wide variation in the knowledge questionnaire items, ranging from 36.0% to 81.8%, which is comparable to the studies performed by Corso et al and Embarak et al [ 24 , 25 ]. This result demonstrates that knowledge regarding OSA is inadequate and needs appropriate curriculum training.…”